


Breaking with Tradition

by Oparu



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Babies, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-07
Updated: 2012-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-29 03:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/315151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/pseuds/Oparu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New parents Kathryn and Chakotay confront some expectations they had about parenting that aren't as they seem. Fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking with Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> written for VAMB's 2011 Secret Santa for Starfleet Rebel, who wanted some sweet babyfic. I didn't name the baby because I thought the readers might want to pick their own name. ;)

When the baby cried, confused at the new surroundings of the bassinet, Kathryn looked at Chakotay, struck dumb.

"What's wrong with the bassinet?"

"I don't think she understands where she is," he replied, picking up the baby and rocking her until she was silent.

"She's been in the bassinet before."

Chakotay smirked, rocking back and forth as the baby's crying became a kind of frustrated cooing, then a hiccup, then stopped. "When has she been in the bassinet?"

Putting her hand on her hip, she looked at him. She'd heard of breastfeeding messing with her brain, and she was aware that sleep deprivation made it hard to form new memories, but surely the baby had been in the bassinet.

"Haven't you?"

Chakotay's smile broadened and he held the baby against his chest with one arm as he pulled the sling on his shoulder with the other. "Your mother took her when I took a shower. Tom sang her to sleep. B'Elanna and Tuvok took turns holding her while you and I made dinner."

"She's three weeks old!" This was ridiculous. Surely the baby had slept in the bassinet at some point!

"Seven's very good at singing her to sleep. Apparently our daughter is particularly fond of jazz standards."

"That's your doing."

"I prefer more traditional music."

"Isn't jazz an offshoot of folk music? Folk music is traditional."

Kathryn helped him put on the baby sling and they settled their now sleeping daughter into it. Chakotay shrugged as she continued to stare.

"It's not going to endanger her development if she thinks the bassinet is foreign territory."

"I'm just, well, I think I'm not actually surprised, now that I think about it."

"Tuvok says a tactile connection is very important with a newborn, because their sense are acutely tuned to their parents. Our scent, the sound of our voices, even our heartbeats are everything to her. We're her whole world."

"A world without bassinets." Kathryn ran her hand through her hair, then sighed, dropping her hand and giving in. "Since I can't seem to keep track of anything, who's still here?"

"Tuvok and your mother are downstairs; they're making some wildly complicated Vulcan dish for dinner while Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, T'Pel, the Doctor and Seven attend one of Tom's favourite old sporting matches."

"Football?"

"The archaic, North American variant with an oblong ball and tackling. Not football as it's usually known on Earth."

"They play that at my high school."

"Your high school believes in a very well-rounded education."

Kathryn sank into the rocking chair and let it creak. "My crew went to watch my high school football match."

"If it makes you feel better, they did promise to cheer for your team."

"My team?" She raised both eyebrows. "I couldn't have cared less about football."

"You didn't want to be a cheerleader?"

"No."

Chakotay chuckled, running his fingers over their baby's delicate hair. It was as dark as his, but downy. She kept wondering if his hair had been that soft when he was that tiny.

Not that the baby intended to remain tiny. She nursed like a fiend and was up past four kilograms already. If she'd had the forehead, she could have passed for Miral's sister in determination.

"You were too busy with the math team, the science league, and the Starfleet Scouting and Glee Club."

"There are no Starfleet Scouts or a Glee Club."

He took a chair next to her, leaning back with his hands around their daughter. "You school was very traditional. How do you know if there wasn't a SSGC at my school?"

"Your school was just as traditional as mine."

"Different traditions."

"No cheerleaders?"

"Not exactly."

The baby sighed in her sleep and a fist flopped against her father's chest.

"What are we going to do with her?" Kathryn asked, leaning over to kiss her head. The unequalled scent of her daughter's clean skin sent warmth down to her toes.

"I was thinking Tuvok. I'm sure he can chop leeks around a baby. He's had four."

Kathryn kissed him this time, careful to keep a space for the baby between their chests as the kiss deepened.

"We did come up here for a reason."

He ran a hand gently over her swollen breast. He was just gentle enough to be maddening. If the baby wasn't going to sleep by herself, she could make dinner with Tuvok.

She kissed him one more time, running her hand up his thigh. "You know," she murmured into his neck. "We're going to have to keep everyone around if we ever want to be able to spend some time alone."

"She sleeps next to the bed just fine," Chakotay said, leaving the chair and heading for the stairs. "Perhaps the bassinet needs to be reconsidered. I know it's traditional--"

Kathryn stopped instead of following him, staring at the lacy, pretty, all-too-traditional bassinet she'd thought she'd wanted.

"What was the one T'Pel recommended?"

"The Vulcan one?"

"Yes."

"It's like a suspended cradle. Replicated fibres like a sisal cat's fur for warmth."

"That wouldn't be traditional."

"No, that would not be traditional."

"Let's get one of those. It's more like a hammock, more like being attached to mom or dad or Tuvok or Grandma or Tom or anyone else who feels like dropping by."

"My sister arrives next week."

"So, between her and the new, absolutely non-traditional sleeping structure, I'll have you all to myself."

Chakotay beamed at her then kissed her, melting into her.

"That's the best idea you've had all day, Admiral."

"Guess I'm worth the extra pips after all."

"I'd love you anyway."

Staring into his dark eyes, she didn't have the breath to answer immediately, not through the heat in her throat. Kathryn settled for a nod.

"I love you too. You and the little non-traditional one here."

"Some traditions are meant to be broken."

"There's plenty of them out there," she said, glancing out the window at the setting sun. "She should have a whole lot of fun."


End file.
